(IF YOU WANT TO SKIP ALL THE GUSHY STUFF, SCROLL DOWN TO THE RECAP, OR IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SAVE TIME, SCROLL DOWN TO THE FINISHING TIME.)
First of all, let me give a tremendous thank you to everyone who is reading this post.
Foremost of course my wonderful wife, Janine, and daughters, Penelope and Francesca, for giving me one of the best memories a man could ever want. We had a wonderful time visiting Baltimore, strolling the Inner Harbor and the Aquarium, having a great pre-marathon dinner, and spending our first "hotel night" as a family together. The trip was truly a blast! My family (especially Janine) made a lot of sacrifices so that I could train for this event...early AM unintended wake-up calls, giving up personal time so that I could fit in long runs, but most importantly - MY FAMILY BELIEVED IN ME. Truly thanks.
Secondly, my MDRP running friends and associates are the best. Obviously in no particular order here (and please, please forgive me if I am leaving anyone out): Tom, Rich, Ron, Denning, Price, Ralph, Halin, Gozdan, Brake, Oleg, Colleen, Jamie, Schwab, Delaney, McWilliams, Laura, Dawn, Larry, Scioli, Bickel, Eagles, Ellen, Jim and Paula, Reinaldo, Boatwright...all of you inspire me to be the best runner I can be. So many of you are absolutely amazing: we have a 1:09 half-marathoner, multiple 2:50 (and soon, I think sub-2:50) marathoners in the group, a 53 year old running 2:54 (!), women running 3:0X - 3:3X into their forties or within a year of giving birth, ultramarathoners (including a 105 miles in 24 hour woman - who may have broken her mark this year, sorry Terry - can't remember), the list goes on and on. And even if you don't post a super fast time, you inspire me. You are out there, training when you have no business training, to get better with the talent you have. All of you are winners. Thanks for accepting me into "the club," and continually reminding me why I love running so much.
Of course, all my extended family and friends inspire me, too. From Facebook friends who simply "Like" my comments, to friends I grew up with who still follow my adventures, to my siblings that occasionally run with me, to my West Coast family that always showers me with love and support...again, A BIG THANK YOU.
Okay,
THE RECAP:
Miles 1-3, mostly uphill from the start to the Baltimore Zoo:
6:42
6:36
6:41
Felt relaxed, laughing at all the people obviously going out way too fast and who don't know how to run tangents. Wanted to average around 6:40-45/mile for this section, so all went well.
Miles 4-6, mostly downhill within the Zoo and back out to the city.
6:26
6:27
6:31
While these miles WERE downhill, I was amazed how easily I was clicking them off. Didn't panic, just let them come. Had hoped to get to the halfway mark around 6:35/mi average pace, so I knew these miles would make up for the slow start.
Miles 7-9, slightly downhill, with a few bumps here and there.
6:35
6:32
6:29
Ran these miles with two guys who were looking to run a similar time (2:55 - 3:00). One guy was nice and tall, so I stuck behind him as we hit the first real windy stretch. Saw Janine and the girls just before Mile 9, which was awesome. Frankie personally handed me a Gatorade bottle, but complained afterward that I almost ripped her arm off and she will volunteer her services no more. :) At this point, my overall average is around 6:33/mi, so I decide to back off the next few very windy miles.
Miles 10-13, mostly flat but super windy (consistent 15-25 mph with a few gusts).
6:39
6:42
6:37
6:32
I dropped my two new-found friends around Mile 11 (I think they realized they went out too fast) and found myself running alone and focusing forward on the field. Huge crowd support around the half-way point, smack in the middle of the Inner Harbor. I had a big smile on my face knowing I hit the halfway point right on the mark, about a 6:35/mi average, on pace for about a 2:53 finishing time. But I also knew the hills were soon coming.
Miles 14-15, the last truly flat miles on the course before the big climbs.
6:37
6:31
At this point, I have to make THE BIG DECISION. My plan was to go out the first half in 6:35/mi, leaving the door open to run a sub-2:50 marathon if I was feeling great. Which means I would have to average 6:25/mi the rest of the race (which includes 4 tough climbing miles) to do it. Or I could shoot for a 6:35-45/mi overall average (around 2:53-55) by maintaining the same effort, losing a little bit of time on the uphills, but compensating for it on the downhills. I decide to give myself the best shot at a good result and opt for the second, more conservative strategy.
Miles 16-17, the first 2 of 4 consecutive climbing miles.
6:33
6:37
I can't believe how great I feel at this point. I am passing people like crazy, I actually feel stronger going UP the hills then I did on the flatter segments. I briefly consider dropping the pace even more. But, I stick to my guns and tell myself, I'll take whatever time the hills give me at this "feel," and if I have tons left, I can make a new BIG DECISION at mile 20.
Mile 18-19, the beginning of the end.
7:18
8:27
Mile 18 is actually an anomaly because about 30 seconds before I hit the mile marker, I decide that now is the best time to physically stop at the water station, get extra fluids in me for the last super duper big climb that awaits me, and deliberately drink a full cup of water and a full cup of Gatorade. Probably gave up 30 seconds at this stop, but I figured I would feel stronger afterward and make up the time later in the race. If anything, I didn't want to BONK (runner's jargon for the more popular term "hitting the wall"). I get about 1/4m into Mile 19, when suddenly I pull a Forrest Gump ("something jumped up and bit me!"). It felt like I had been literally shot in my left hamstring! Instant seizing cramp, no warning whatsoever. I try to bend down to stretch it out, but I physically can't - my whole leg locks up. I quickly sit down in the middle of the road and try to stretch it out. Unfortunately, it takes about 2 minutes to go away. Two police officers watched the whole thing unfold, and at first I didn't think they would let me continue. They politely asked if I needed a medic, and I told them as politely but broken-heartedly as I could, no I just need a minute.
So I have to make a SECOND BIG DECISION of the race, obviously different than what I had hoped. Any chance for a great time is completely shot. I just gave up two and half minutes of time within half a mile. What do I do now? Do I try to forge on and maybe still break 3 hours? Do I come to the realization that this isn't going to be my day after all and throw in the towel, even though I have never felt greater running in my entire life than at the exact moment this happened?
I instantly thought of my wife and girls who would be waiting for me at the finish line. They gave up so much for this race. And who knows when they would all get another opportunity to see me run a marathon? I didn't want them to see me show up at the finish line in an ambulance. They deserved to see me cross the finish line. Decision made.
Mile 20-21, one last ditch effort.
7:12
7:33
Even though I didn't have full range of motion, I felt like I could maintain a semi-decent pace. If I could get to Mile 20 in 2:15, I quickly figured I would need to average about 7:00/mi the last 6.2 miles to run 3 hours. I hit Mile 20 somewhere around 2:15, give or take a minute (my watch didn't display seconds in the Garmin Mode I was in). I ran the next mile as hard as I could to see if I could get the pace back down to 7:00/mi. Unfortunately, Mile 21 came during the second really gusty portion of the race. When I checked my watch at the mile marker and saw my best effort was 7:33, I knew 3 hours was also out the window. That was a quietly moving moment for me. I knew my lungs had all kinds of breathing life left in them. But leg(s) just wouldn't let me go any faster than my regular easy pace runs, even running all-out. So I made the third and final BIG DECISION OF THE RACE. I was going to finish and the girls were going to see me finish, but I wasn't going to really injure myself anymore by pushing the pace. I also knew that I was registered for the Philly Marathon in 5 weeks, and depending on how I recover from today, I figured it might be another chance to run a much more conservative race and shoot for 3 hours. Or if not the run the whole Philly Marathon, I could help pace some MDRP teammates for as long as I can who are also shooting for sub 3 hours. So I backed off the pedal and started smiling at the spectators and volunteers, knowing what a privilege it is that I get to run this race - even if not according to plan.
Miles 22-26.2
8:39
8:39
8:36
9:28
8:14
7:17 (0.2 miles)
I probably ran about 8:00 pace and stopped for 40 seconds each mile for Miles 22-24, either to stretch, drink fluids, or just give myself a break. People who volunteer at marathons are an incredible breed. Some of the best that humanity has to offer. They instinctively know when a runner is doing well and when a runner just doesn't have it anymore. But they still offer you great service, a smile, and the appropriate praise ("Looking good!" "Keep it up!" "Hang in there!" "What you are about to do is amazing!"). God bless marathon volunteers.
The cramp came back briefly in Mile 25, so I stopped twice that mile, accounting for the slower time. But Mile 26 and Mile 26.2 were an incredible blur! I don't remember picking the pace up again, but the crowds were absolutely unbelievable that last 1.2 miles. Who COULDN'T run faster at that point, with all THAT energy and knowing that the end is near? I feverishly searched for Janine and the girls the last 0.2 miles as I approach the finish. I am worried that they think something may have happened to me and that they wouldn't be there. I cross the line with a big smile on my face for hanging in there, but at first I don't see them. Just as I look up from my watch to see exactly what time I did end up running, I see Janine and Frankie waving at me and Penny in her stroller. They DID see me finish! It made it all worth it. :)
FINISHING TIME: 3 hours, 7 minutes, 39 seconds
To quote two of my running friends, Terry Delaney and Tom Elliott, "It is bad form to complain when you PR." Technically, I set a marathon PR by about 5 minutes today. I am pretty sure I officially set a half-marathon PR en-route (even though I have run faster on training runs of the same distance). My overall time wasn't what I had in mind, but the experience was more than worth it. I had a great training cycle, and I have great family and friends. What more could a guy want? And who knows, if I recover well, maybe I'll get another shot in 5 weeks. If not then, some day. Until then, happy running. And thanks. :)
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